Forum:Gigginox Guide by Bonaparrte (Poison Immunity)
Basic Info Guide made by: Bonaparrte Guide for: Gigginox Game: MH3 Rank: Village ★★★★☆ Gear This guide is aimed at addressing one of the most annoying issues when fighting the Gigginox offline, which is its large array of poison-based attacks. In the overall view of things the main requirement is to have a minimum of ten available decoration slots. This can be achieved with a variety of combinations; Below we will list some items that you may use to get to this goal. Weapon As a rule of thumb you will need a weapon with at least two decoration slots, if not more. * Great Sword: Chieftain's Grt Swd * Hammer: Bone Bludgeon+ * Bowgun: Light Stock + Jaggid Barrel + any frame. The Jaggid Fire frame in particular is useful due to its capability of rapid-firing Piercing Shot Lv2. * Sword and Shield, Lance, Switch Axe: The earliest weapons avaliable from these trees are those from the Crystal Path. To get these weapons it is necessary to mine the Volcano area. Access to this area is enabled once hunters complete the "Fell the Lagiacrus" quest. * Long Sword: There is no early long sword available with two decoration slots. If you are fortunate enough to have a charm capable of negating the need for a slotted weapon, then your choices lie between maximizing elemental damage, maximizing physical damage, or status effects. * Elemental: Fire-based weapons do the most elemental damage to a Gigginox, but only weapons made from Qurupeco materials provide this type of elemental damage. Water is the next-best elemental goal, which can be achieved by using any of the numerous Ludroth weapons. * Physical Damage: Any weapon you're comfortable with will do here. Notable here are the Bone path switch axes which have quite decent raw damage. * Status effects: The most useful status effect against a Gigginox is paralysis. However, these monsters are also susceptible to poisoning, so a weapon like Sieglinde '' is still viable. Charm At the time that the Gigginox quest becomes available you will be able to collect Shining Charms from mining and as quest rewards. Shining charms have a chance of giving a talisman with one or two decoration slots and/or grant some points towards poison immunity. Depending on whether you have an appropriate charm, the minimum requirements for the weapon/armor combination that you end up using may change. Even if not required, an extra charm slot may be useful by letting you add decorations to counter any potential armor weaknesses, or to activate latent abilities. Armor The primary criteria in selecting armor for hunting the Gigginox is the number of decoration slots available. Here are the complete sets available, ranked by number of slots available: * Lagiacrus Armor (Gunner version): Nine slots. However, odds are that you will not have the materials necessary to complete it. * Rathian Armor (Gunner version): Seven slots. The Rathian-hunting quest becomes available at the same time as the Gigginox-hunting quest, and is the best early choice. * Jaggi Armor (Gunner version): Six slots. * A number of five-slot sets of armor are available. The Gigginox hunt is one of the few times where elemental resistances are not important, and where inherent armor set skills are secondary in relevance. As a result it is viable to choose to mix and match armor pieces with two decoration slots each from different sets. You will lose the inherent armor skills, but you will gain poison immunity which should be your top goal. You may for example use the headpiece from the Alloy or Gobul set, the Vambraces from the Jaggi, Rhenoplos, or Gobul set, and the mail piece from the Baggi set for six decoration slots. Add faulds and greaves from any set with one decoration slot each, and you have a total of eight decoration slots. Losing the inherent armor set abilities and looking like a clown are a small price to pay in exchange for poison immunity. Decorations Barring any points gained from charms, you will need to fill ten decoration slots with one ''Antidote Jewel each. These jewels will give you immunity to poison-based attacks, but make you susceptible to stun attacks. If you have an extra decoration slot available you can counter the stun effect with a single Steadfast Jewel or Steadfast Jewel+. Some armor sets such as the Jaggi and Gobul armors (both blademaster and gunner versions) have inherent stun resistance, which can help counteract the negative effects of the decorations. As you hunt more and more Gigginox monsters you will receive Poison Sac''s that may be used to create ''Antidote Jewel+''s, which offer twice the poison resistance as ''Antidote Jewel without the stun weakness. It is highly recommended to replace these jewels as soon as possible, since this allows you to free up decoration slots, which in turn lets you focus on building up other armor skills. Items Hunters setting out to face a Gigginox are advised to stock themselves well with survival gear. The minimum items that should be brought are listed below. Unless noted otherwise the maximum amount possible should be brought. * Supply Items (provided) * Well-Cooked Steak * Mega Potion * Potion * Paintball x3: An additional two are provided in the supply box. No more than a total of four should be necessary. * Dung Bomb: To get out of vice grips. * Hot Drink x1: More are provided in the supply box at the beginning of the quest and after completing subquests. Additional items which may aid hunters engaging a Gigginox: * Mega Nutrients * Psychoserum: Aids in the initial tracking of the Gigginox, as well as follow-ups when paintballs wear off. * Whetstones: Depending on the weapon used the two Mini-Whetstones provided in the supply box may be enough, but bringing an extra stack of their own for backup purposes wont't hurt. * Pitfall Trap and Shock Trap: Enraged Gigginox are very annoying. Use these to stop them in their tracks. ** Book of Combos 1 and Book of Combos 2 ** Trap Tool and Thunderbug: Combine to make more shock traps. * Flash Bombs: To dislodge the Gigginox from the ceiling. Notice that antidotes and herbal medicines are not included. Since you have achieved poison immunity through gear you will not need those. Finally, do not forget that completion of secondary quests awards you with extra supplies in the form of rations, first aid kits, mini-whetstones, and hot drinks. Guide Preparation As with any major monster, hunters should ensure that they are at the peak of their physical ability. This includes maximizing their health and stamina, be it through the felyne kitchen or via items such as mega nutrients and well-done steaks. Furthermore, hunters should ensure that they maintain this state throughout the encounter by topping up their health, stamina, and weapon sharpness when switching between areas during a hunt. Learn to distinguish the front side of the monster from the tail. They are very similar and it can be difficult at first, since the tail has eye- and mouth-like markings. This is further compounded because the Gigginox has a a habit of performing flip jumps, reversing the direction in which it is facing. The best strategy is to watch the position of the legs and wings. Cha-Cha If you want to bring Cha-Cha along I highly recommend the Antidotal skill which Cha-Cha can learn at level 22 before you engage the Gigginox. If Cha-Cha is level 28 or higher I suggest having Cha-Cha wear a mask with two ability slots and use the Shock Trapper ability in addition to Antidotal. Offense The Gigginox will offer you very small windows of attack, so quick strikes will be imperative. However, having achieved poison immunity you can give yourself the luxury of being more aggressive in your attacks. As a rule of thumb you will be targetting three sections of the Gigginox: The head, the torso and the tail. The tail section is usually safer to attack, but attacking the torso and head will produce faster results. Aiming for the head is particularly effective if using a weapon capable of stunning the monster. In addition it is imperative to keep in mind that most Gigginox Attacks target the front and left side of the Gigginox, so attacking from the back and right side is preferred. Ultimately it will be up to you to decide which section to attack. As a general rule the rear is safer, but the front will produce faster results. When the Gigginox is on the ceiling you will not be able to attack it with melee weapons. However, when the monster is clinging to the ceiling then hitting it with bowgun shots has a chance of causing it to drop from the ceiling and be open to your attacks. Explosive-type shots such as Cluster and Crag shots are particularly effective. For melee weapon users a flash bomb or bounce bomb may have the same effect, but in many cases it is easier and safer to wait for the Gigginox to drop from the ceiling voluntarily (even though it won't be prone that way). When enraged, the Gigginox tends to favor more direct attacks, such as charging and jumping. You can take advantage of this by planting a shock trap, which will give you enough time to land your most powerful counters. Defense By having decorated your gear for poison immunity you have already addressed the biggest defense issue you will have when battling the Gigginox. The rest of your defensive strategy will be to avoid the physical aspects of its attacks. As mentioned before, the main target areas of the Gigginox's attacks are its front and left side, so your safest standing locations are the right and rear of the monster. The following rules will maximize your safety: * Move clockwise aroud the monster after each attack. As it turns to face your previous position you will stay at its right side. * Do not position yourself between the Gigginox and a wall. This will make it impossible for you to evade its attacks, and you will be knocked down multiple times and get stunned/potentially die. * The Gigginox's wings have a longer sideways reach than you think. When the monster is readying for a smash attack then you should attempt to get as far away from the wings as possible, lest you get knocked down. * Do not stand under the monster when it is hanging from the ceiling. Doing so is the quickest way of getting caught in the hangover vice. * When the Gigginox is hanging from the ceiling, adjust your camera angle to watch it as you are moving. You need to be able to observe it so that you can evade its attacks. Predicting and Countering Gigginox Attacks * Terrifying Roar: The warning sign for this move is the Gigginox curving its head and tail downwards and taking a quick breath, after which it will straighten out to enhance the resonance of its roar. Due to our focus on poison immunity it will be impossible (or at least impractical) to evade this attack. However, if your weapon has a shield you will be able to block the effects of the roar. * Smash: This attack is preceded by the Gigginox quickly rearing on its hind legs. Hunters standing in front of the monster should block or evade. Those standing at the sides should either dodge to the rear, block, or quickly move to the gap between the wings and the body. Those standing at the rear of the Gigginox may attack freely. * Poison Smash: The difference between the warning signs for this attack and ther regular Smash is that the Poison Smash is preceded by a slower rear. With a little practice you will be able to distinguish between each of these attacks. While you do not have to worry about the poison effect of this attack, the poison clouds still have a knockback element to them. If you are close to the monster then you should block towards its center or evade away from it. If far, then you may position yourself just outside the poison cloud area and attack the head or tail, which you may be able to reach with your weapon (depending on its reach). * Poison Spit: There is no particular warning sign for this attack, but the missile speed is slow enough that there should be no problem evading the spit. * Neck Stretch Swipe: This is one of the most annoying Gigginox attacks, as it not only is highly unpredictable and has a very large coverage (stretching as far as about three standard evasive rolls), but it also knocks hunters towards the front of the Gigginox, no matter from which direction they are hit. The key is to avoid the second, wider swing. Users of weapons capable of blocking should do so. For other hunters, if the weapon is sheathed a well-timed panic dive can help avoid the attack. If close to the monster, hunters can also aim for a very small safe zone between the Gigginox's body and wings. * Hangover Neck Swipe and Hangover Poison Spit: Obviously the first thing necessary for the Gigginox to perform these attacks is that is be on the ceiling. The second thing to know is that they rarely (if at all) follow any other ceiling attack. In other words, other than moving around they will be the first action the Gigginox performs from the ceiling. Furthermore, the neck swipe is always preceded by the Gigginox moving to the last position of its target. Therefore the time where most attention needs to be paid to the Gigginox is when it just attacked itself to the ceiling and is about to move. Once it moves, stay away from the location of its destination. ** If caught by the hangover neck swipe, hunters can free themselves (and other hunters) from the Hangover Vice with a dung bomb. * Hangover Smash: This is the Gigginox's preferred way of moving from the ceiling to the ground. it is more of a jump than a smash, but the impact still has a damage component, so it is something to be avoided. There are two things to look out for: One is the wind buffet which will cause hunters to flinch. The other is the stretched neck and wings, which have deceivingly wide range. Weapon-Specific Strategies * {Incomplete - More details to come soon} * Great Sword: * Sword and Shield: * Hammer: ** The hammer's greatest strength against the Gigginox is its ability to pair mobility with strong attacks like the superpound and triple strike. ** The triple pound has the highest probability of stunning the Gigginox. When stunned its weak underside will be exposed. ** Because of the hammer's superior stunning capabilities, attacks should be aimed primarily at the monster's head. ** The superpound (full-charge stationary attack) is best used as a counterattack in that is can be charged while the Gigginox is moving and unleashed once the monster stops. ** Since the hammer has no blocking capability, evasion should take priority over attacks. While it takes a while to recharge the hammer, it is preferrable to do so than to take damage. ** The second-stage charge attack has a significant forward momentum, which can be used to close in short distances quickly, much like the sword-and-shield's jump attack. * Lance: ** Poison immunity addresses one of the largest drawbacks of the lance, namely its inability to block the cloud from the Gigginox's poison smash. ** The ground charge of a Gigginox is slow enough for lancers to use their counter. ** Unlike most other weapons, the lance's ability to fully block attacks allow their wielders to go for full frontal attacks as opposed to having to approach from the sides. * Bowgun: ** Since the Gigginox spends a significant amount of time on the ceiling bowguns are an ideal weapon for maintaining damage output during those phases. ** When putting together the parts for their bowgun, hunters may choose between barrels with a shield and barrels capable of rapid fire. Rapid fire is preferrable of causing damage faster by using less ammunition, but leaves hunters more exposed to physical attacks. A shield can help protect against the latter, as well as block roars. Since poison immunity has been achieved, the poison component of Gigginox attacks is negligible. ** Rapid Fire: The only elemental rapid fire barrel available at this stage is Royal Launcher, which does not exactly target the monster's elemental weaknesses. The best choices are Jaggid Fire for Pierce S Lv1 and Light Bowgun for Normal S Lv2. ** Shielded Barrel: Hunters using a shield on their barrel can choose to focus on explosive-type shots and status-afflicting shots. * Long Sword: ** There are two primary forms of attack. The roundslash combo is ideal for full offense. The fade slash and moving slashes are best suited for cautious attacks, allowing their wielders to 'dance' around the Gigginox. ** Aim to charge the spirit gauge to yellow level before engaging the Gigginox. The best way is to target giggi eggs, giggi, and baggi. The eggs are stationary and can take a few weak hits. However, only the last swing of a spirit attack counts towards leveling the weapon's gauge, and it usually has wider range than the other swings. It is therefore possible for hunters to place themselves in such a way that the last swing will hit the egg. This minimizes the chances of accidentally destroying it before the combo is finished. ** Once your spirit gauge is charged you can focus on the Gigginox. You will be fighing a reactive battle, waiting for the Gigginox's moves before attacking. ** The best place for hunters to stand to unleash their roundslash combos is behind the neck, between the wings and the torso. It is a reltively safe location, and places the Gigginox's weakest areas (chest and head) within slash range. * Switch Axe: ** The switch axe's greatest asset is its range. ** While the sword mode deals damage faster, it should be avoided until their user is familiar with the Gigginox's behaviour. The one exception is when the monster is immobile (from a trap, for example). ** The switch axe allows its wielder to shift sideways after attacks via the use of the side step, resulting in hunters being of-center from the Gigginox's counterattack in a manner much similar to the long sword's fade slash.